Daily Devotion for January 15, 2022
Prayers
Scripture
Lord’s Prayer
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever.
Today’s “Saturday Oldie” is really old, from the first days of recording. The Church in the Wildwood was recorded by the Carter Family in the 1920s, in Bristol, Tennessee.
In 1927, the Victor Talking Machine Company set up a temporary studio in Bristol, to memorialize the active music community in the rural Southeast, thereby giving birth to “country music.” It’s an interesting window into history.
No lovelier place in the dale
No spot is so dear to my childhood
As the little brown church in the vale.
Chorus:
Oh, come to the church by the wildwood
Come to the church in the dale,
No place is so dear to my childhood
As the little brown church in the vale.
How sweet on a clear Sabbath morning
To list to the clear ringing bell.
It's tones so sweetly are calling
Oh, come to the church in the vale.
There, close by the church in the valley
Lies one that I love so well.
She sleeps, sweetly sleeps, neath the willow
Disturb not her rest in the vale.
There, close by the side of that loved one
Neath the tree where the wild flowers bloom.
When the farewell hymn shall be chanted
I shall rest by her side in the tomb.
To Help Others This Day
Heavenly Lord, I pray that this day, you will continue to bless me, that I may be a blessing to others. Keep me strong that I may help the weak. Keep me uplifted that I may have words of encouragement for others. I pray for those that are lost and can’t find their way. I pray for those that are misjudged and misunderstood. I pray for those who don’t know you intimately. I pray that others will find your strength, so that they can love and help one another. I pray for those who don’t believe, that they may find you.
And when this world closes in on me, let me remember the example of my Lord and Savior: to slip away and find a quiet place to pray. Remind me, nudge me, let me remember to find you when I feel like I'm pushed beyond my limits. In Christ’s name, I come to you,
St. Jerome in his study
Prayer of St. Jerome
Lord, thou hast given us thy Word for a light to shine upon our path; grant us so to meditate on that Word, and to follow its teaching, that we may find in it the light that shines more and more until the perfect day; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Affirmation
Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead, our Lord Jesus Christ, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant equip us with every good thing that we may do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight; through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever.
Think of the day ahead in terms of God with you, and visualize health, strength, guidance, purity, calm confidence, and victory as the gifts of His presence.
Today’s “Remember the Bible” Question
Identify this Verse: “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. ”
Psalm 107:35-38 (ESV)
He turned the desert into pools of water
and the parched ground into flowing springs;
there he brought the hungry to live,
and they founded a city where they could settle.
They sowed fields and planted vineyards
that yielded a fruitful harvest;
he blessed them, and their numbers greatly increased,
and he did not let their herds diminish.
Galatians 6:1-5 (ESV)
When Other People Sin
rothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.
Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. But let each one test his own work, and then his reason to boast will be in himself alone and not in his neighbor. For each will have to bear his own load.
Notes on the Scripture
The first sentence teaches us how we should treat another Christian who has done something wrong. How do you treat a fellow believer who has committed adultery, or used profane language, or some other obvious sin? First off, of course, Christ forbids you to judge the person. Repeatedly in the New Testament, He tells us that we should not worry about the splinter in someone else’s eye, when there is a giant arrow in our own eye; that we should “not judge, lest [we] be judged”. We even pray that God will use our forgiveness of others as the yardstick for deciding our own forgiveness.
But we should not sit on our hands. Paul tells us, here, to restore the person in a spirit of gentleness, with double emphasis on “gentleness.” Someone who has done something wrong, or perceives an accusation, will become extraordinarily defensive. Criticism is soft in the mind of the speaker, but a hundred times louder in the ear of the accused. Often, people will become defensive when no criticism is even intended.
Before I speak to anyone, I must examine my heart deeply and honestly: Do I feel judgmental? Do I think the person should be punished? If I do, I should probably keep my mouth shut. We are not going to “restore” someone to faith if he perceives any judgment or anger; we are, instead, going to make him angry and drive him to rationalizing his error, making excuses, and all other sorts of natural human behavior we all use to protect our egos.
Someone should talk to the person who has the knack of doing it in the true spirit of love, often someone who has a good relationship with him. In our pride, it is often hard for us to admit that somebody else can do a better job at this than we can.
The second sentence warns us not to be tempted ourselves, if we try to help another person avoid temptation. Now, there’s an irony: how many times does a hero try to save a drowning person, only to drown himself? How often does the person offering a hand up, instead of helping the victim, fall into the pit? Often enough.
We can all remember things we have done or thought on impulse, because we want to fit in with our social group, which we regretted later. We mostly associate the impulse to conformity with teenagers; but a multi-billion dollar fashion industry teaches us that it remains strong into adulthood. So this, too, we must beware, giving way to a group opinion.
Even so: these are dangers Christ tells us to face: “Bear one another’s burdens,” the Bible tells us.
Comments (3)
Today's devotion hit so many points for me: to not conform to this age of self-gratification, but to look for every opportunity to elevate others, especially when they fall; to seek to live according to the Word of God, not judging but forgiving and forbearing one another. I am so humbled by the lessons I find within. Thank you, Mason, Ken and everyone who contributes to this site.
The Church in the Wildwood was my father’s favorite song so it has a special place in my heart. Thanks Mason! May everyone have a blessed day.
Perfect message to hear before a family gathering later today.